Fiber Junctions
The membranes of adjacent fibers interdigitate, forming interlocking junctions along their long
lateral sides. These junctures help to stabilize the fibers so that as the lens changes
shape in accommodation,
the lateral membranes slide against each other and remain close
together.
Adhesion complexes joining the lateral membrane also enable close contact between
fibers during lens shape change and decrease extracellular space, minimizing spacing between
fibers and decreasing light scatter.
Although mature lens fibers lack cellular organelles, they still require nutrients.
The fibers deep within the lens are far from the aqueous and vitreous, and fiber- to-fiber transport
is important. An intracellular network of gap junctions facilitates movement of ions and small
molecules between fibers.71 The lens has a higher concentration of gap junctions than other
cells in the body; the lens gap junctions contain; some channel proteins that are unique to the
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